Pirates of the Caribbean - He's a Pirate

Once before, in the land of Ornithia, there had been nothing but dark stormy days as the Ornithians - bird people, lived in fear of the fiendish creature that has plagued their days with stormy clouds, and shattered their skies with bolts of lightning.

The impundulu - a vampiric creature with a ravenous taste for bloods of females, and the powers of storms and diseases at his commands, this creature knows no terror, and is without a peer.

No living mortals has ever worked up the courage to stand up to his might. That is until I saw her.

We were onboard an airship, en route to another floating city in Ornithia with a cargo of valuable jewels, doubloons, and riches untold. She was but a young buccaneer at that time, when the Impundulu strikes. Like always, he attacks without warning. He strikes from the darkest corners on cold, windy, stormy nights in the form of lightning.

Riding on a bolt of lightning, he appeared in a clap of thunder, onboard our ship, demanding that we sacrifice one female in exchange for safe voyage.

She was but a young buccaneer at that time, when her mother was chosen to be sacrificed to this monster. Not willing to let her mother go this way, young Celaeno offered herself to the beast.

The impundulu laughed at her plea, mocking her for being just a child. But Clelaeno refused to yield. She claims that if she can beat it to a duel, then it will leave them be. The impundulu accepted the challenge.

Obviously, it was no easy task. No one has ever challenged the impundulu to a fight and lived to tell the tale. The impundulu was also called the Lightning Bird for its fearsome, breathtaking super speed of lightning. It struck little Celaeno relentlessly, landing several scorching blows to the young buccaneer's body.

It looked like a futile endeavor for Celaeno. But she knew if she gave up then, she'll lose not only her life or her mum, but the lives of the entire crew, along with our valuable treasure. Celaeno was afraid to lose, which is how she never gave up. And in that moment of fear, she found the courage she needed to outsmart the impundulu.

Needless to say, during the battle, a barrel of gunpowder was knocked to its side, spilling the black powder content. One of the sparks from the impundulu's feathers had set off the gunpowder, startling the vampiric demon.

It was in that moment that its greatest fear was discovered. Fire.

Grabbing a handful of gun powders, using the wind as her ally, Celaeno trapped the impundulu in a cage of bright fires that blinded the beast. Then, picking up a single harpoon, Celaeno defeated the vampire Lightning Bird, and sent it plunging over the starboard side of the ship, to the sea below.

Present

"....Many moons have passed, and the story became nothing more than a mere legend today," Harpy concluded, while picking the logs with a stick to keep the camp fire going. "And since that faithful day, Ornithia was free from the Lightning Bird's reign of terror.

"Wow!" The friends marveled, after hearing such an amazing tale.

"I don't think I'm ever gonna look at Celaeno the same way again!" Tender Tap commented.

"Same here," Rumble added.

"It's like finding out one of your best friend is superman!" Button squealed.

"She is so awesome! /)^3^(\" Rainbow squealed with a scrunched up face.

"That must've been quite the feat for her," Applejack added. "Taking on a the Lightning Bird like that."

"Aye, it is," Harpy agreed. "So ye landlubbers can see, it takes real guts and spirits of a pirate to ever trifle with a demon of the storm, which ye obviously see firsthand, considering the beatings yer airship took."

Pipsqueak couldn't help but blush, "I just hope Captain Celaeno won't be too furious about nearly losing her new ship again," Pipsqueak frowned.

"Aw, don't worry there, Sugarcube," Applejack began in a reassuring tone. "I'm sure after hearing the whole ordeal we went into finding her, I'm sure she'll completely understand."

"Yeah, it's not like the impundulu attacked us because it knew we were Celaeno's friends, or anything. Right?" Button commented.

"...Maybe," Pipsqueak replied hesitantly.

And then, like lightning it hit him. Pipsqueak thought back to the scene in Ponyville, just a day after Celaeno's disappearance. Pipsqueak recalled the kicked up dirts, courtesy of some markings that were made by the talons of Celaeno's feet and her jade peg leg, together with the scorch marks that painted across the landscapes of Ponyville.

Pipsqueak didn't think about it then, but know that he does, the scorch marks appeared to resemble to those made from a lightning bolt.

Looking up at Madame Harpy, Pipsqueak began to ask, "Hey, Madame Harpy? Remind me again, how does the lightning bird attack again?"

Scratching the bottom of her beak, Harpy recalled and answered, "It's like I said. The impundulu strikes without warning. It rides on lightning bolts in the darkest of stormy weather."

"But by chance, does it leave behind a trail of scorch marks, wherever it goes on land?" Pipsqueak asked.

"That it does, Pip. That it does," The harpy nodded, before she blinked her eyes in surprise. "How do you know about that?"

"Because I think it got Celaeno!" Pip deduced, much to the shock of everyone in the group.

"Are you sure, Pip?" Rumble asked.

"Of course, I'm sure!" Pipsqueak replied with determination, before he started sharing his thoughts with the rest of the group.

"Aye, that does sound like the work of the impundulu alright," Harpy replied.

"Then I guess it wasn't just a coincidence it attacked our ship, earlier like that," Rumble added.

"We've got to save Celaeno, before it's too late!" Pipsqueak stomped his foot, before he walked up to Madame Harpy, "Where is it? Where's the Lightning Bird?" He asked.

"Take it easy lad, take it easy!" Harpy ushered, before she pointed to the dark clouds that were about a distance away, "Ye see those clouds? Those dazzling purple lightnings? That is the storm of the impundulu. And from the looks of their formations, the lightning bird has found itself a new nest, over on that island!"

"Let me see!" Rainbow got out a telescope, looking through its lens before exclaiming, "THAT'S BLACKSKULL ISLAND!!!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Pipsqueak shouted, with a wave of his pirate sword, only to be stopped by Harpy.

"Just what do you think yer doing, Pip? You're not intending on going to that treacherous island across treacherous water, are ye?" She asked.

"Of course I am! Celaeno's my captain! And I've got to save her!"

"Well ye be at a lost cause, Pip. Without our ships, we can't get across! And by the time we repair each of them, it'll be too late. For tonight, the moon will be red. And when that time comes, the impundulu will prepare to dine on its prey. Meaning your precious captain will be dead."

Pipsqueak's eyes widened with horror. He could hardly believe his ears. He had come all this way, with his own hearty crew in hopes of rescuing his captain. But now, just when he was so close, he was told that it was already too late.

Author's Note

This has been a hard story to work on, but thankfully I have a Co-author who was willing to help out. Thank you, alpha steel!